Democrats intensify their IVF messaging in new billboards, tying Trump to the Alabama ruling

Democrats are ramping up their messaging around an Alabama Supreme Court ruling over in vitro fertilization, drawing a direct line from the decision to former President Donald Trump as the party seizes on a firestorm of backlash over the decision.

In public appearances, through surrogates, on social media and now on billboards across eight battleground states, Democrats — from President Joe Biden on down — are blaming the Alabama court’s ruling that embryos are human on Trump’s shaping of the U.S. Supreme Court and its subsequent overturning of Roe v. Wade. The fall of Roe, which came after Trump appointed three conservative justices, gave states control over abortion rights, including determining when life begins.

In plans first shared with NBC News, the Democratic National Committee is expected to launch advertising Tuesday on dozens of billboards across Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin with a message tying Trump to the IVF ruling, including a quote when he boasted about his ability to reverse Roe.

One of the billboards will read: “Then: ‘I was able to kill Roe v. Wade.’ Now: Alabama Court Ruling stops IVF. Banning abortion, Stopping IVF. Is Georgia next?” Each is personalized to the state it is in, and some are bilingual.

The ads are the latest example of Democrats’ focus on abortion and reproductive rights, underscoring what a crucial role the issue is expected to play in the fall election.

The Alabama Supreme Court last week ruled that embryos created through IVF are children under state law, setting off widespread confusion and panic among those using the procedure. The ruling prompted a slew of legal concerns among doctors, IVF facilities and companies